Taiwan at the forefront against fake news (paid for by Beijing)

The Taiwan government wants to increase penalties against those who spread misinformation designed to influence next January’s presidential elections, which will pit incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party against pro-mainland challenger Han Kuo-yu from the Nationalist (Kuomintang) Party.

Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Taiwanese government is beginning to change its laws to more forcefully counter disinformation and the so-called "red media", outlets believed to be linked to Beijing that seek to influence the island’s politics and the upcoming presidential election.

A 70-year-old woman was fined NT,000 (US0) last week for spreading fake information on social media, claiming that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, from the Democratic Progressive Party, donated NT.5 billion to Haiti during her Caribbean visit this month but refused adequate funds for Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu to fight the worsening dengue fever.

Mr Han belongs to the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, which is seen as pro-Beijing, and will be her main challenger in the January 2020 election.

The 70-year-old woman is the latest person to be fined. So far 110 people have been prosecuted for online disinformation.

Last month, hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese took to the streets to protest against Communist China’s interference in the island’s domestic politics.

However, for law enforcement, it is difficult to prove that Beijing is behind the disinformation as cyber attacks and fake news come from IP addresses registered in Singapore or other countries.

• taiwan
• china
• fake news
• crackdown
• disinformation
• fines
• online campaigns